Here in Utah whether a home is sold in as is condition, or not the seller needs to fill out property condition disclosures.  If the home has never been occupied by the owner, they can fill out a non occupant addenda.  This past weekend showing fixer uppers our buyers found a home that they can live in while fixing it up.  They are getting a loan so they asked if they could see a property condition disclosure to see if they could qualify the house for a loan.  Short of that, if they could find out what the owner knows needs to be repaired, sort of a list.

One answer we know would be to hire a home inspector, but they don't want to do that until they are sure if this is a project that is worth taking on.  The other agent called back, and wasn't sure what had been done nor what needed to be done.  She thought that some things had been done, but didn't know what the extent of the repairs had been done.  For example, she didn't know if the heater was in working order or not, or the plumbing. 

We got thinking, wouldn't it be nice if a property was being sold in as is conditions, wouldn't it be a good sales tool to have a list of what has been done, what the seller knows needs to be done, and what he or she isn't sure of?  I just believe that would make the property would be much more marketable if such a list were included in the listing, that way buyers would be able to tell right away what they were actually looking at, or at least, for example, to look at the roof or foundation to make sure they are alright in case the homeowner hasn't checked those.

Another way to go would be for the seller to order an independant home inspection and offer a copy or at least a list of what needs to be repaired.  That would help buyers know what is really a bargain, and what is essentially a tear down and rebuild.  Just a thought, what do you think?